Eight bodies found on ‘ghost ship’

TOKYO: Eight bodies have been recovered from a wrecked boat that washed ashore in central Japan, authorities said yesterday, suspecting the vessel is the latest in a series of North Korean “ghost ships”.

Coastguard rescuers found the corpses of seven men inside the wreckage of the boat that washed up in Kanazawa, central Japan, last week, senior police official Hiroshi Abe said.

The badly decomposed remains of another man were discovered around 15 metres from the boat, Mr Abe added.

“It is difficult to identify the bodies as they had begun to decompose,” he said, noting that rough seas had prevented officials from investigating the boat thoroughly.

“We spotted a tobacco box which carries some Korean letters, but we can’t confirm the boat came from North Korea,” he said.

However, coastguard officials believe it is the latest North Korean fishing vessel to wash up on the coast, following a record number of such cases last year.

Television footage showed the wreckage of the flat-bottomed vessel capsized on the beach.

According to TV Asahi, a badge depicting former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was found in the wreckage.

The number of North Korean fishing vessels washing up on Japan’s coast hit a record 104 cases last year, following 66 in 2016, according to the Japanese coastguard.

Sometimes the crew members have already died at sea, a phenomenon local media refer to as “ghost ships”.